GPDU -- MONTH 7 One Applique Block and one ShooFly Block

Moving on to the second half of this year--we have a new, beautiful applique block and another ShooFly block. This is posting a couple days early, as it will be a busy holiday weekend here in the US for July 4. I thought you might like an early start.

Remember, it's not too late to start this project. All of the blocks remain available FREE to Star Members of  The Quilt Show until December 31, 2022--Months 1-7 are up now. New blocks are posted on the first of each month. Find the information HERE.

Here is my applique block, Block 10. I used one of my favorite old fabrics for the vase, and 3 kit fabrics for the leaves: 

My Block 10

The tip for Block 10--the stems are straight so they don't have to be made from bias, straight stems will do it. 

Designer Irene Blanck's Block 10

The ShooFly block is just like last month--the instructions are exactly the same so you don't have to print that page for Month 7, unless you want to. Find my detailed ShooFly block instructions here: MONTH 6 SHOO FLY BLOCK TIPS

Cutting all the pieces needed for several ShooFly blocks in advance, allows you to sew them as Leaders/Enders--they practically make themselves. I needed two blocks for my project so I just cut all those pieces, and set them beside my machine. Over a few days they were all made:

Both of my ShooFly Blocks have double hearts in the center. Very easy and fast to make. I have seen some made with flowers from earlier months, an additional pieced block, a square of floral fabric--it's your quilt, you get to decide: 

Early on this year I decided I was not making a second full-size version of Garden Party Down Under--I love my sample made with help from the Sunday Sew & Sews last summer:

But I still needed to do something with the sample blocks I am making each month THIS YEAR, mostly from Kit fabrics.  Here is my plan. The center made in Months 1 and 2 will be a small wallhanging. All it needs is quilting--unless I decide to add a narrow outer border:

Another small wallhanging will be made with Months 4-7. It will be completed after the LIVE broadcast July 1 when I will discuss the Month 7 Vase Block:

Because the applique blocks from Month 5 are 13" wide and the pieced blocks are 12" wide, I had to add very narrow sashing to the pieced blocks in rows 1 and 3 so the rows align. They are 1/2" finished. The sashing in the middle row is 1" finished.

I wanted this quilt to be square so the sashing between the rows is 1" finished--this makes the center 38.5" including seam allowances.

I will use this to demo how I made the pieced borders when we get to Months 10, 11 and 12. Having a square quilt means I only have to do the math once. With a rectangle, I would have to figure out the left and right side borders AND the top and bottom borders. 

The Month 10 and 11 narrow applique blocks are real favorites of mine. I will make all four of those but haven't decided what I will do with them. Maybe a long narrow wallhanging or a table runner. Time will tell...

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Asheville Quilt Guild

 I had a lovely trip to Asheville, NC recently to present a Lecture and Workshop to the Asheville Quilt Guild. 

Google said it was 5 driving hours but no, with stops and some slow traffic in places it was over 7 hours and we lost an hour going into the Eastern Time Zone. So I was very glad the decision was made months ago to go on Monday for the Tuesday evening Lecture and Wednesday Workshop.

Tuesday my husband and I went to Biltmore Village, with lots of shops, eateries and my favorite place, the Southern Highland Craft Guild Gallery: 

I love all the handmade items for sale, especially the jewelry, and bought myself a pair of earrings:

These handpainted silk scarves were so beautiful but way beyond my budget:

There were quilts, the tags were too high off the ground to read and I wasn't in the market to buy so didn't ask the prices:

Lots of wooden objects:

And Treenware, which I did buy a piece of as a gift: 

After meeting with a few board members for dinner, we got set up at  a great meeting place for the evening Lecture--A Quilter's Last Will and Testament. The A-B Tech center was such a nice meeting space and the young tech guy made it a breeze to connect my iPad with  PowerPoint to the big screens in the auditorium:

Set up for the Lecture

President Shelly addressing the guild

Members on the left

Members on the right

The lecture was very well received. Many came up to me at the end to tell me how much they appreciated the topic and how they now had ideas and a plan to prepare for when they are no longer the owner of all their STUFF. It was the first time I gave this lecture, based on the extremely popular blog I wrote on the topic a year ago: A Quilter's Last Will and Testament

The next day we met at a local church for the Workshop, Antique Rose Star by Machine. There were 11 students and a wonderful helper. Class went very well and everyone learned how to make one block. And a variety of ways to set those blocks, or make a table runner or other project. The secret to that dreaded Y-Seam is So Much Fun to teach. A few photos from the day:

Judy

Linda

Shelly

Melissa, who has a date with her stitch ripper when she gets home

The happy crowd at the end of the day

The best thing about driving to a job is having two bed quilts with me. Both my husband and I slept very well under these quilts, after throwing off the hotel duvets that are just too hot:

The next day we had another 7 hour drive home but picked up the hour we lost a few days before. We were blessed with great weather, about 20 degrees cooler in the mountains than at home. All in all, it was a good trip and I so appreciate the welcome and kindness of the Asheville Quilt Guild.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

CRUISING--COME ALONG WITH ME!

 You have probably heard by now--I am teaching on a Quilt Cruise with Stitchin Heaven March 11-18, 2023. Round Trip from Miami, FL on a beautiful Royal Caribbean cruise ship:

Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas

Miami FL 

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Learn more about this unique opportunity in this one minute Video:

Harmony of Quilting

Besides two great classes, you will have ample time to enjoy ALL the wonderful features of this great ship. AND enjoy 3 days in various ports of call. Get tempted by this 15 second Video:

Harmony of the Seas

It's so fun when I get a message from a friend saying "I am going on the CRUISE!" And that is happening frequently.

I would LOVE to have you come along with me on our SEA CRUISE. When you do register, be sure to indicate on the Registration Form that I told you to come--you'll be glad you did.

Let's cruise AND quilt!

Barbara

Teaching Trip to Asheville, NC

 This week I will be presenting a Lecture and teaching a Workshop for the Asheville Quilt Guild in Asheville, NC. 

The Biltmore Estate

No, I won't be staying here or presenting here, but the Biltmore Estate is a spectacular place and well worth a visit. My husband and I had a wonderful visit to Asheville in 2013--read all about it here: Southern Sojourn

The Lecture will be Tuesday June 21, 2022, at the Asheville Quilt Guild meeting. It is based on my most popular Blog post ever: 

I provide suggestions for how to help our families deal with all our STUFF--once we no longer need it. It can be an overwhelming task, which is why most of us don't do it. But SOMEONE will have to deal with it eventually. There are 10 tips I discuss in detail--if you do one a month in less than a year you will have the job done. 

The workshop is Wednesday June 22, 2022. One of my favorite classes to teach: ANTIQUE ROSE STAR BY MACHINE:

 I have made large ones and small ones. They can be bed quilts or placemats or anything in between.

While you can make them with the dreaded "Y Seam"--it isn't hard when you know the trick. Here is a smaller version:

Just about every time I teach this I write a blog about it because we just have so much FUN! And the student's work is so great--each person uses wonderful fabrics they love. Find just two of those posts here, there are more you can find with the SEARCH box in the upper left:

Class Finish

Antique Rose Stars

Because Asheville, NC is in the mountains, I was hoping it will be much cooler there. But, alas, that is not going to be the case. We will be comfortably inside, sewing all day for the workshop. 

I bet there will be a new blog about teaching Antique Rose Stars by Machine in the not-too-distant future.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

More Neutrals

 I am still playing with a Neutrals quilt, using Disappearing Patchwork blocks. Previous posts about this project can be found here:

Disappearing Patchwork --there are several layouts in this post and I asked for opinions

A Neutral Quilt

Two more Disappearing Patchwork blocks have been made--lighter overall this time. The first blocks I made have a few darker fabrics--they have been moved to the four corners. This layout will be 16 blocks, each is 13" square:

Two other Disappearing blocks were made a month ago. I thought I could use them as alternate blocks. BUT they are not the same size. The pinwheel blocks are 13" finished, these are 12.5":

It would take some playing with numbers to see if I can make this one 13" finished without having to use wacky measurements. When I get more of the pinwheel blocks done, I will play with that task.

The other day, someone made the comment that she probably couldn't make a whole quilt from neutrals--as she would be screaming for COLOR. 

I get that. Here is the other ongoing project I am deep into--plenty of color:

This is a small wallhanging from Garden Party Down Under--I still have to complete four corner blocks that are applique and finish sewing the lower left block in place. That has to wait until after July 1 when I do a LIVE video for The Quilt Show featuring that block. It is easier to show just the block under the camera. The Diamond borders are the same style as the original quilt but are smaller. There are also "Floater borders" to add that will make the Diamond borders fit the center perfectly.

I didn't see the need to make a second complete GPDU but I have all the parts I am making this year for the Blog posts, Videos and LIVE videos. Assembling them into smaller wallhangings makes it more likely they will get finished some day.

Here is the other wallhanging, Months 1 and 2:

Back to making Disappearing Pinwheel Patchwork blocks.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Disappearing Patchwork

 I am still working on a Neutral quilt design. What I want to use is a block created with the "disappearing patchwork" process. What I like about this is you don't really get to plan where each fabric will go--how you rearrange the blocks once they are cut up and sewn back together will determine which fabrics go where.

Here are a few ideas I have worked up in EQ8. Let me know if any of them appeal. They are in my favorite order, at this moment.

1. Four Disappearing Pinwheel blocks in the center. A variety of pieced borders surround the center. They can be changed to any blocks you like for those pieced borders. Floater borders make everything fit perfectly:

2. Two different Disappearing Patchwork blocks, set off with sashing. The outer pieced border is fast to make and the four corner blocks can be anything you like: 

3. Sixteen Disappearing Pinwheel blocks which can be turned many different ways. A simple pieced border of pinwheels and quarter square triangles frame the quilt:

4.  Two different Disappearing Patchwork blocks, set off with sashing. A simple border is made more interesting with your choice of corner blocks: 

So far I  have made 4 Disappearing Pinwheel blocks. They can be arranged in at least two different ways. My favorite:

The other arrangement, which has potential, especially if using just this block--I like the strong diagonal line created by the pinwheels:

Working with NEUTRAL fabrics is not my usual style. The whole idea for me with this quilt is to try something different. Overall, they look darker than I envisioned--I have a tendency to still choose Light, Medium and Dark Values of all the fabrics. 

Here is what it might look like with lighter value fabrics:

I won't proceed until I have a design I really like. Can't say I am there yet. 

Your thoughts are welcome!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Sunday Sew & Sews

 I   haven't bragged on my Sunday Sew and Sews in a while--it's time.

Our monthly meeting lasts about 2-2.5 hours, one Sunday a month. There are 13 of us but it's rare that everyone is able to attend. We do Show and Tell, talk about our lives, and talk about The Quilt Show's Block of the Month project---most are doing it.

Holly showed off a few things. Sizzle, designed by Becky Goldsmith, the 2019 Block of the Month, Goldie the cat did inspection, it met her approval:

Holly did Afternoon Delight, the 2020 Block of the Month. She changed the Double 9 Patches to 4 Patches, and this one is somewhat smaller than the original. It's the perfect size: 

Pam E brought show and tell. We did a Round Robin Swap a few months back and hers is now done: 

To see all of the Round Robin tops click here: Round Robin Project

A new top all done, Tula Pink's Pineapples. Pam started this at our Joyful Journey Retreat in March: 

We are working on a Secret Swap that I can't show you right now so those will have to stay under wraps.

Finally, my birthday just keeps on keeping on. Judi made a DELICOUS German Chocolate cake--my husband's favorite--and she left half here:

They also brought me a lovely vase filled with beautiful flowers:

I love this group of women so much and it brings me great joy to see how each of them has grown as a quilter and the friendships that have been forged. 

If you want friends, offer to start a small group. All it takes is for one person to say "Is anyone interested in getting together...?" 

We only do food in June and a potluck lunch in December. We don't do hands on sewing, although you could. We never run out of things to talk about. And each member knows she is with her tribe.

Let's quilt.

Barbara